1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a developer supplier for carrying a developer to a developing device, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including the developer supplier.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a developer is supplied to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor to develop a visible image, and the developed image is transferred and fused onto a recording medium, thereby printing an image on the recording medium.
The developing device is an assembly of components for developing images, which is attachable to and detachable from a body of the image forming apparatus. The developing device may be replaced when it is no longer usable. A developer cartridge accommodates a developer therein and supplies the developer to the developing device. The developer cartridge may be replaced independently from the developing device when the accommodated developer is fully consumed.
The developer cartridge and the developing device are connected to each other via a supply pipe. In the supply pipe, a supplier may be provided to carry the developer toward the developing device. The supply pipe may have a uniform cross-section and size and extend in a direction of gravity from the developer cartridge to the developing device. However, due to limitations of a size of the image forming apparatus, an inner component arrangement of the image forming apparatus, and the like, the supply pipe may be partially or entirely bent and thus have a multi-curvature shape. Also, a cross-sectional shape and cross-sectional area of the supply pipe may be irregular. A supplier provided in the supply pipe having such a multi-curvature structure and/or irregular cross-section structure may be bent according to the shape of the supply pipe, and a cross-sectional shape of the supplier has to match the cross-sectional shape of the supply pipe.
A flexible supplier in a supply pipe transfers the developer while rotating. However, when a developer pressure in the supply pipe abnormally increases due to a certain cause, the flexible supplier cannot rotate normally and twists. Then, a load of a driving motor that drives the supplier may increase, and thus the driving motor may stall. When the flexible supplier is further twisted, the supplier may be spirally rolled and move away from the supply pipe, and thus cause the image forming apparatus to malfunction.